No Source

The brook gurgled softly, birds sang among fragrant flowers, and cicadas droned on. A pleasant murmur sounded across the woodland clearing. "Soul Anchor." Within the pavilion, having been released, Tianyan immediately closed her eyes. Channelling qi with one hand for several seconds, she struck out a Heaven Character True Word to stabilize the Meishen flower poison and Heavenly Desire aphrodisiac poison that had been stirred up. As her voice faded, the young girl slowly opened her eyes, her golden pupils filled with the disgust one would reserve for a pervert. "You truly are shameless to the extreme." Xu Yuan smiled faintly. "Thank you for the compliment." "Don't mention it. If you like hearing it, I can say plenty more." Tianyan narrowed her lovely eyes, a flicker of murderous intent passing through them. "......" Xu Yuan shrugged, gesturing for her to go on if she liked. He had seen the killing intent in Tianyan's eyes. Xu Yuan had no doubt about her desire to break free of her shackles, nor did he doubt that she wanted to tear him into ten thousand pieces. However, insults from an enemy were the highest praise, so he had always been happy to accept them in full. He naturally understood why Tianyan had broken through his restraint. Once she gained enough information to ensure her own survival, no one would be willing to remain under someone else's control—least of all an arrogant prodigy like Tianyan. Fortunately, however, this washboard Saintess seemed to place great value on her chastity. Although the Meishen flower hadn't completely subdued Tianyan's mind, it kept her balanced on a razor's edge where a single spark could ignite her. During this month before the flower's effects wore off, Tianyan would likely stay relatively well-behaved. Getting back to tonight's gathering, however... A refined gathering, especially one held by the Qionghua Sect. Xu Yuan was quite curious about it. However, facing so many acquaintances right from the start without any memories carried too great a risk of exposure. His knowledge of Jinghe was limited to that single line from Cangyuan: "One becomes cherry, one becomes leech." He knew very little else, not even what cultivation method the man practiced. After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan steered the conversation back on track. "Let's cancel tonight's gathering." Tianyan knew how to prioritize. Having completely regained her composure, she replied in a low voice, "We need to obtain information about ten thousand years ago. Tonight's gathering of sect disciples is an excellent opportunity." "It also carries tremendous risk," Xu Yuan disagreed. Tianyan answered without hesitation, "We are already trapped in this bizarre illusion. Tell me, what could we do that doesn't carry risk?" "We have no memories right now. At the very least, we can gather some basic information through ordinary disciples." Having eavesdropped on those ordinary disciples earlier, Xu Yuan had realized that he and Tianyan held very high statuses among the second-generation disciples of the Qionghua Sect. By leveraging that status, they could learn a great deal. "Basic information?" Tianyan sighed. "What do you think low-ranking disciples could possibly know? Only these sect prodigies and scions of the higher-ups know what we need to know. You heard what those people said earlier. The original Jinghe was clearly a man of few words. Just speak as little as possible at the gathering." Xu Yuan fell silent for a few breaths, then asked rather hesitantly, "Um... what exactly is it that we want to know?" "......" The air fell abruptly silent. Tianyan paused for two seconds, staring at Xu Yuan as if looking at an idiot. "Naturally, we need to find the source of this illusion." Xu Yuan didn't mind her look in the slightest, merely countering, "What do you consider the source? The Sect Master's private quarters? Or the sect's back mountain?" In Cangyuan, the deepest reaches of the Qionghua Palace map were those two places, but the source of the illusion obviously couldn't be either of them. Hearing this, Tianyan gave a faint sigh and lowered her voice. "This illusion was created by the Meishen tree spirit, so the source is most likely related to the Meishen cherry tree." Xu Yuan gave her an odd look and pondered for a moment. "You want to find the Meishen cherry tree?" Tianyan nodded, pointing in a certain direction, and said quietly, "Of course. But the Meishen cherry tree hasn't appeared yet at this point in time." Xu Yuan glanced sideways in that direction. Her sense of direction wasn't bad—far better than the block of ice's. That way was indeed Cherry Leech Lake. However, hearing her words made Xu Yuan's expression turn even stranger. Tianyan continued analyzing on her own, "That's why I want to make contact with those people. Before a divine sect-guarding tree like the Meishen cherry tree matures, the sect keeps it under secret watch. Low-ranking disciples wouldn't have any chance of reaching it—only core disciples..." "All right, that's enough." Xu Yuan couldn't resist cutting off her analysis. Tianyan broke off and stared at him. Xu Yuan pointed in the direction of Cherry Leech Lake as well, asking, "Are you sure the 'source' of this illusion is the Meishen cherry tree?" "Most likely." "......" Xu Yuan let out a long breath and leaned directly back against the pavilion's stone balustrade, tilting his head back to gaze up at the azure, wash-clean sky. "Then don't bother looking. We probably won't be getting out anytime soon." "......" Tianyan stared at Xu Yuan without speaking, sitting quietly as she waited for his explanation. After a long silence, Xu Yuan pointed at Tianyan's body. Confusion flickered in Tianyan's eyes. Out of nowhere, Xu Yuan said, "You are the Meishen cherry tree." "What?" "The identity of 'Wang Yuchu' that you ruined earlier was the Meishen tree spirit." The pavilion went silent. Around them, cicadas droned, birds chirped, and a gentle breeze rustled through the treetops. Tianyan's small mouth parted slightly into an 'O' shape. Xu Yuan waved a hand in front of her eyes and sighed. "Are you sure there must be a 'source' in this illusion?" Tianyan came back to her senses and nodded, her clear, melodious voice tinged with gravity. "Both of us are present here now, meaning this illusion involves a technique of intent-soul linking. The caster must leave behind a 'source' within the illusion to maintain the connection between us." After hearing this, Xu Yuan asked rather hesitantly, "This is an illusion created by the Meishen tree spirit. Could it differ from ordinary illusions? And could the method to break it be different as well?" Tianyan furrowed her brows and stared at Xu Yuan, enunciating each word: "What I just described is the fundamental principle of how soul power operates." "......" Xu Yuan had nothing to say to that. The two sat in prolonged silence. They were stuck. Their progress toward breaking out of the illusion had ground to an immediate halt. Because the source couldn't be found. Night fell, the Hour of the Rooster. Haiwei Restaurant. In the end, Xu Yuan and Tianyan still came to attend this gathering of core disciples of the Qionghua Sect. If they needed to remain in this illusion for a prolonged period, they truly needed to gather a lot of information. The cultivation methods Jinghe practiced, their interpersonal relationships, their exact standing in the sect. Moreover, they had to determine whether the Qionghua Sect currently possessed a Meishen cherry tree at all—even a sapling would do. Counting Xu Yuan and Tianyan, there were eleven people in total at the gathering. Six men and five women, who had reserved an entire floor of private booths at Haiwei Restaurant. Everyone who came was at least Fourth Rank, truly the core of the Qionghua Sect's core. Senior Brother Li did not look like a cultivator, appearing instead like a bookish scholar, but he was exceedingly strong. He was likely the most powerful person present. Even Xu Yuan's current cultivation couldn't compare.